Buckeyes make it look easy

Without Clarett, defending champs roll past Huskies

Ohio State 28, Washington 9

Ohio State opened defense of its national title by easily handling 17th-ranked Washington 28-9 Saturday night in front of 105,078 fans at Ohio Stadium.

Without the services of suspended tailback Maurice Clarett, Ohio State rolled to a 21-0 first-half lead, parlaying an impressive array of passes and running plays into 237 total yards by intermission.

Coach Jim Tressel rotated tailbacks Maurice Hall and Lydell Ross to fill the void of the celebrated Clarett, who rushed for 1,237 yards and 16 touchdowns last year as a true freshman, despite missing five games with injuries.

"We've said since we've been here, we would like to be a team that rushes the ball for 200 yards a game, that passes it for 250 and scores 40 points, while not turning it over," Tressel said last week. "And that's the standard that we set for ourselves. I would hope that our experience could take us closer to our goal."

Hall scored the game's first touchdown on a 2-yard burst with 8 minutes 31 seconds left in the first quarter to culminate an eight-play, 72-yard drive.

Quarterback Craig Krenzel ran 22 yards for the Buckeyes' second score as he eluded tacklers like a breakaway running back.

Krenzel scrambled for a second TD with 11 seconds remaining before intermission. His 11-yard bob and weave to the end zone made it 21-0 as Mike Nugent added his third extra point.

Krenzel completed 9-of-18 passes for 143 yards by halftime. Senior Michael Jenkins was on the receiving end of three of those first-half tosses for 50 yards.

Washington finally scored on a 46-yard field goal by Evan Knudson early in the third period, a career first for the junior kicker, to make the score 21-3.

But the Buckeyes answered with a seven-play, 61-yard drive capped by a 15-yard burst to the end zone by Ross to make it 28-3 midway through the third quarter. Jenkins caught three passes for 30 yards on that drive.

Before Saturday's game, Ohio State athletic director Andy Geiger said Clarett's suspension was for misleading investigators who were looking into alleged off-the-field problems.

An investigation was begun last month by the NCAA and Ohio State into Clarett's claim that more than $10,000 in clothing, CDs, cash and stereo equipment had been stolen in April from a 2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo that he borrowed.

Geiger said Saturday he didn't know if Ohio State would have a response to the NCAA's list of allegations against Clarett before the end of next week. He also said the response could end up being "150 pages" long.

Clarett is practicing with the Buckeyes but is not permitted to play while the NCAA and Ohio State continue probing academic and legal problems for the sophomore.

Clarett watched the game Saturday from the sidelines near his teammates in street clothes after coming onto the field during warm-ups wearing his No. 13 game jersey.

Geiger said Clarett was suspended because he did not abide by the NCAA's Bylaw 10, which compels athletes and coaches to answer truthfully when confronted by university or NCAA questions.

"Bylaw 10 is about ethical conduct," Geiger said. "It deals with telling the truth to the NCAA and to the institution. The institution is a part of the investigation."